


I Can't Breathe

by K1mHeechu1



Series: Podium or Die (Or Die and Podium) [5]
Category: Figure Skating RPF, Sports RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Hurt/Comfort, I was running out of ideas, Illnesses, M/M, Major Illness, Pandemics, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-11
Updated: 2018-12-11
Packaged: 2019-09-16 12:22:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16953945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/K1mHeechu1/pseuds/K1mHeechu1
Summary: Yuzuru had thought that finally getting to compete in his boyfriend’s hometown would be really exciting.He had been wrong.(Or the one with a pandemic, Contagion style)





	I Can't Breathe

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, IdF Podium Mass Murder is here.
> 
> I had only drafted this story during the actual competition, so writing it was a pain in the ass.
> 
> Note to self: Don't draft things while high on painkillers.
> 
> Anyway, here you go.
> 
> Only GPF to go!
> 
> Happy reading, see you when I see you!
> 
> No Shomas were injured while writing this fic

 

Yuzuru woke up abruptly, crying, breath quick and shallow as he tried to shake off the remnants of his nightmare.

 

A warm hand stroked his back.

 

“Hey.” The whispering voice of his boyfriend sounded in his ear. A kiss fell on his temple. “Are you okay? C’mon, let’s calm down and breathe together.”

 

Yuzuru let himself fall into Javier’s embrace, looking at the others in the room. There were perfectly working bedrooms, but after the days’ news, they had all decided to fall asleep in the living room, Yuzuru and Javier taking the sofa and the rest having dragged mattresses for the improvised sleepover.

 

As Javier caressed his side gently, he counted the bodies on the room.

 

Boyang was on a corner, and next to him, Nathan was snoring gently.

 

Evgenia and Rika were sharing a mattress on the other side of the room.

 

And then there was Shoma and Jason sleeping in the middle of the room. Shoma had somehow wrapped himself around Jason’s body, koala style, and was sleeping with his face buried in his hair, while Jason’s face was hidden from view by Shoma’s chest. They had taken the longest to fall asleep, sharing short kisses and whispered words of reassurance. 

 

Seeing his friends sleeping peacefully helped calm him down, and he turned around to face Javier.

 

“When will nightmare end, Javi?” Yuzuru bit his lower lip.

 

Javier pulled him into a hug.

 

“We’ll get through this together, Yuzu. We’ll be okay. This will pass, and we’ll go back to our lives as best as we can. Together. I’ll never leave you.”

 

“I don’t want to lose anyone else.”

 

Javier didn’t know what to answer to  that. Yuzuru simply rested his face on Javier’s shoulder, closing his eyes.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Yuzuru had thought that finally getting to compete in his boyfriend’s hometown would be really exciting. 

 

He had been wrong.

 

It had started during open practice. 

 

Half way through his run through, Deniss had collapsed. And he hadn’t gotten up.

 

He had been coughing before, so people suspected it was a worse case of the flu than previously expected, and gone on with their lives.

 

Then, the young German pair skaters had withdrawn, citing illness. 

 

And then, Marin had started coughing so badly, her coach had withdrawn her as well.

  
  
  
  


By the time they realised what was going on, it was everywhere.

 

A stronger strain of the flu virus, the news reported, akin to the one that had been responsible for the 1918 Influenza Pandemic. There was no vaccine nor was there any treatment yet.

 

The ISU decided not to cancel the competition.

 

By the end of the day, Kevin Aymoz had withdrawn as well.

 

And after their short program, Ryom and Kim had collapsed the second they left the public view after the Kiss and Cry.

 

The men had taken the ice for their Free Skate warm up.

 

Yuzuru skated towards were Brian and Javier were, taking his water bottle from Javier’s hand and drinking a little, before turning around, eyes widening as he saw the was Keiji looked. He skated towards him.

 

“Keiji, are you okay?” 

 

Keiji has just looked at him, and collapsed. Yuzuru had caught him before he hit the ice.

  
  


Everyone had panicked, and the ISU had been forced to postpone the Free Skate.

 

That had been a week ago.

 

Javier had gotten the few healthy ones that were left, got them in a van, and driven them to his parent’s home. They had been on a holiday trip, so the house was empty, but stocked with food and in a not overly populated area.

 

They quarantined themselves, and waited.

  
  
  


By the third day, they learnt that all the skaters that had shown symptoms had died. 

 

And the fear set in, deeper in their bones.

 

Yuzuru was an anxious mess every time Javier left to get more food. He was scared he was going to catch the flu somehow. He was terrified he was going to lose him.

  
  
  
  
  


Rika started coughing a couple of days later.

 

Everyone panicked. Evgenia designated herself as her nurse, and they all unanimously kept Yuzuru as far away from her as possible. Yuzuru protested the decision, wanting to help, but he was  overpowered. There was no way they were letting the asthmatic close to the ill girl.

 

Boyang looked tired and pale, but insisted he was fine, and that he just needed to be helpful, so Javier took him with himself the next time he went out. 

 

He came back alone, and shaken. Boyang had simply dropped death in the middle of the street. No symptoms. 

 

Rika passed away the next day.

 

Evgenia saw her body and collapsed in tears. And in some point, her sobs turned into loud coughs.

 

She was gone by the end of the week.

  
  
  


Nathan confessed he had been feeling feverish a couple of days later, and the all knew it was coming, he was prepared. He was able to say goodbye before they lost him to the fever.

  
  
  
  


A month after Nathan’s death, they were still waiting for things to get better.

 

Javier and Jason were cooking dinner, Yuzuru was taking a nap, and Shoma had just finished setting the table. 

 

“Shoma, can you go wake Yuzu up? Food’s ready.”

 

Shoma had nodded and left.

 

And then they heard the scream. They dropped everything and rushed to the bedroom, where they found a panicked Shoma holding Yuzuru up.

 

Yuzuru’s face was covered in sweat, red and hot.

 

Javier rushed to him and wrapped him in a hug, rocking him as he started crying.

 

“It’s okay, you’re okay.” He cried, combing his fingers through Yuzuru’s hair and listening to his laboured breaths. “We’ll take care of you. You’ll be okay. Don’t worry.”

  
  
  


Javier stuck by his boyfriend’s side, applying cold compresses to his forehead, wiping his sweat, helping him eat and keeping him comfortable.

 

Seeing Yuzuru so lethargic was just wrong. All of them were so used to seeing him being so intense and full of life.

  
  
  


A week passed. Yuzuru started breathing easier. 

  
  


Two weeks, he stopped coughing.

  
  


Three weeks. His fever finally broke.

  
  


Four weeks. He was weak, but back to normal.

  
  
  
  


The news came: they had found a vaccine. Healthy people were advised to stay at home, where they would be visited by government agents to be vaccinated within the week, and after 48 hours, they would be immune to the virus.

  
  
  


Yuzuru sighed into the kiss. It felt so good, kissing him after so long. He had thought he was never going to be able to kiss him again.

 

“We did it. I promised you.” Javier whispered against Yuzuru’s lips. “I promised we’d make it, together.”

 

A noise.

 

They looked at each other. 

 

Again.

 

They run.

  
  
  
  
  


Heartbreak.

  
  
  
  
  


Shoma was crying, holding Jason’s lifeless body against his chest as he sobbed and asked him to wake up.

 

There had been no warning. He hadn’t coughed like Rika, or been pale like Boyang, or collapsed like Evgenia, or just known like Nathan.

 

Jason had been completely healthy when he had fallen asleep next to Shoma, kissing his lips and telling him goodnight.

 

And then he hadn’t woken up.

 

Yuzuru hugged Javier, crying as he mourned their friend and ached for Shoma, who was unconsolable, sobbing and defeated.

  
  
  
  
  


 

 

 

 

And then the doorbell rang.

  
  
  



End file.
